☁️ How to Host Your Side Projects for $0: The Ultimate GCP Free Tier Guide
Source: Dev.to
Introduction
Hello, Dev Community! 👋
I’m excited to kick off a new series where I’ll be building an AI‑Powered News & Insight App. Before we dive into “Vibe Coding,” LLMs, and Python scripts, we need a home for our application.
While platforms like Vercel and Replit are fantastic, sometimes you just need a raw Linux server (VM) to have full control over your environment—whether it’s for hosting a Docker container, running a cron job, or just experimenting with Linux.
In this guide I’ll walk you through provisioning a Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Compute Engine instance that stays within the Always Free tier limits. I’ll share exactly which settings to tweak to avoid surprise bills! 💸
🛠️ Step‑by‑Step Setup
Prerequisites
- A Google Cloud Platform account with billing enabled (the free tier quota covers the costs).
Step 1: Machine Configuration
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Navigate to Compute Engine → Create an instance.
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Region – Choose one of the free‑tier eligible regions:
us-west1,us-east1, orus-central1.
My choice:us-west1(Oregon) – slightly better latency from Asia.
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Machine type – Select e2‑micro (2 vCPU, 1 core, 1 GB memory).
Step 2: OS and Storage (Crucial!)
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Click Change under “Boot disk”.
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Boot disk type: Choose Standard persistent disk (not “Balanced”).
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Size: Set to 30 GB – the free tier includes 30 GB of standard persistent disk per month.
Step 3: Data Protection & Observability
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Backups: In “Data protection,” select No backups (snapshots cost extra).
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Observability: Uncheck Install Ops Agent – it consumes RAM on a 1 GB
e2‑micro.
Step 4: Networking
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Firewall: Enable Allow HTTP traffic and Allow HTTPS traffic.
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Expand Network interfaces and click
nic0.
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Network Service Tier: Change from Premium to Standard (free/cheaper for low usage).
📊 Quick Reference: “Golden Config” Decision Table
| Configuration | Default GCP Setting (Costly) | Free‑Tier Choice (Free) | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Region | Local region (varies) | us-west1 (or us-east1 / us-central1) | Only these US regions are Free‑Tier eligible |
| Machine Type | e2‑medium | e2‑micro | Covered by the program |
| Disk Type | Balanced Persistent Disk | Standard Persistent Disk | Only Standard is covered by the 30 GB free allowance |
| Network Tier | Premium | Standard | Premium incurs extra per‑GB cost |
| Observability | Ops Agent enabled | Disabled | Saves RAM on the tiny instance |
✅ Verification
Before clicking Create, check the Monthly Estimate on the right side of the screen. It should list only:
2 vCPU + 1 GB memory30 GB standard persistent disk
If anything else appears (e.g., “Snapshot schedule” or “Ops Agent”), revisit the steps above.
Once verified, click Create! 🚀
🔮 What’s Next?
Congratulations! You now have a running Linux server in the cloud for $0/month.
I’ll use this VM as the foundation for my upcoming side projects, specifically the AI News & Insight App. In upcoming posts I’ll cover:
- Setting up the development environment on this VM
- Using “Vibe Coding” tools to generate application code
- Deploying the app to this server
Stay tuned for the next part of the series! If you have tips for optimizing free‑tier VMs, share them in the comments below! 👇